Copley Library

Religious of the Sacred Heart Postcard Collection

The Religious of the Sacred Heart Postcard Collection at the University of San Diego documents the network of schools, colleges and convents administered by the Sacred Heart community in the United States. These postcards are part of a larger collection attributed to Mother Genevieve Clarke RSCJ, the founding librarian at the San Diego College for Women, and her sister May who served for many years as a reference librarian there. The Sacred Heart postcards are part of the Clarke sisters’ original postcard collection acquired during the first half of the twentieth century. The larger collection, the San Diego College for Women Postcard Collection, also includes postcards sent to the college’s cloistered community by their students and provides a glimpse into the times in which they lived.

The Clarke sisters had a privileged upbringing. Both sisters were fluent in English, French, and German; they were widely traveled and well educated. Their youth was spent studying and traveling in Europe with their widowed mother. Upon returning to the United States they were enrolled at Sacred Heart schools before once again taking up their studies in Europe.

In 1907, Genevieve entered the Sacred Heart Novitiate. After professing her final vows, she was sent to Barat College in Lake Forest, Illinois. While at Barat College she attended Loyola University, Chicago where she earned her B.A. and Master’s degree in History along with a certificate in Librarianship. Genevieve’s older sister May received her B.A. at the University of Munich along with a certificate in Neo-Philology. Postcards are not only a means of communication but also function as keepsakes documenting places with special meaning to the collector. The postcards in the Religious of the Sacred Heart Collection follow this pattern.

As Sacred Heart alumna, the Clarke sisters had a special interest in collecting postcards that showcased the order’s mission to make “God’s love visible in the heart of the world through the service of education.” The embodiment of this mission is revealed in the impressive beauty of the Sacred Heart school buildings and grounds captured in these postcards. Their handwritten messages attest to the appreciation felt by those living and studying in these surroundings. It is therefore no coincidence that the founder of both the San Francisco and San Diego Colleges for Women, Reverend Mother Rosalie Hill RSCJ, wrote that “guided by [the Church] and following the example of Saint Madeleine Sophie, we are striving to add beauty to our schools…its mission to lead the soul to God—the All-Beautiful.” The San Francisco College for Women postcards show her remarkable vision and design skills at work in the service of Catholic education.